ACC Football: 5 incredibly early bold predictions for the 2023 season
By John Buhler
3. Drake Maye is a top-five NFL Draft pick, but does not win the Heisman Trophy
Let’s be real. The litmus test for how good ACC football will be this year is 100 percent the North Carolina Tar Heels. We like the ageless Mack Brown as their head coach, but we love what he has under center in future NFL franchise quarterback Drake Maye. The hype surrounding him entering his redshirt sophomore season may be a tad outrageous, but he could be the next Aaron Rodgers.
Overall, I would suspect the Tar Heels will be a top-25 team throughout the season like they were pretty much a year ago. They are going to win around nine or 10 games, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough to keep Clemson or Florida State from becoming conference champions. The good news is Maye will be putting up numbers. The bad news is he is not winning the Heisman Trophy.
Oh, he’ll be in New York as one of the five finalists, and probably one of four quarterbacks, if we’re being totally honest. It will be a huge moment for Brown, Maye and the rest of the UNC program. However, he is going to finish third or fourth in Heisman voting and be his draft class’ version of C.J. Stroud. There is nothing wrong with that, as Maye will also be a top-five pick in the NFL Draft.
The opportunity is going to be too good for him to pass up being a top-five pick come next spring.